Staff Reports
Vice President Kamala Harris is gearing up for a joint appearance with President Joe Biden in Pittsburgh, and it looks like she’s finally ready to showcase her “pro-American” stance — at least when it comes to steel. Given her campaign’s strategy, she’s reportedly calling for U.S. Steel to remain under domestic ownership, which aligns nicely with the White House’s previous objections to the company’s prospective sale to Japan’s Nippon Steel.
This rhetoric from Harris might give the impression of a bold policy stance, but it’s hard to overlook how closely it mirrors Biden’s earlier comments, where he expressed opposition to the sale as a means to support American steel workers. This could signal a desperate attempt from Harris to move away from her usual vague mantra of “I’m the new face of the party” to actually present something tangibly American. Given her relatively sparse policy outputs since Biden endorsed her in July, this could be her attempt to finally stake her claim in the party’s direction.
🔵#Harris used a joint campaign appearance with President #Biden in the critical swing state of Pennsylvania to say that U.S. Steel should remain domestically owned.
INFO: https://t.co/pMigqRud2H pic.twitter.com/Z2EqQLO71d
— KWTX News 10 (@kwtx) September 3, 2024
Their appearance also coincides with Pittsburgh’s Labor Day parade, which is seen as a major event in an election cycle that’s revving up with surprising enthusiasm from the Democrats. The duo’s goal seems clear: rally the troops in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, a state that Biden desperately needs to hold onto while pretending to reinvigorate the industrious spirit of American steelworkers. It’s an uphill battle because for years the Democrats have been trying to portray themselves as the champions of the working class — uniting them under the banner of big government.
Harris appears to be altering her messaging to appeal to a wider voter base, contrasting herself with her Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, while doing exactly what Biden has done before her: pushing for government expansion disguised as help for the middle class. She’s echoing Biden’s proposals for prescription drug cost caps and expanding child care assistance while promising action on the inflation that’s crushing the average American’s grocery bill. Maybe if her critics play their cards right, they might just call her the policy clone of President Biden.
And who could forget the evident energy shift since Harris has climbed to the top of the ticket? According to her team, there’s a surge of excitement, with “tens of thousands” of new volunteers knocking on doors in Pennsylvania, all rallying for her and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Yet, it’s worth contemplating how much of that enthusiasm is genuine as opposed to a classic overestimate — which has historically been a routine tactic in Democratic campaigns.
Despite Harris’s energetic pace, the illusion of progress is evident in her continued reliance on the familiar Democratic status quo — partnering closely with Biden on policies and crying out for massive government programs. As she courts the electorate with promises of an “opportunity economy,” it’s noteworthy that she manages to do so while leaning heavily on the policies of a supposedly weary president. In a race that could actually bring some real change, it feels more like they’re trading chairs on the Titanic than steering the ship toward calmer waters.
